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Apr 26, 2011

Illamasqua Toxic Nature Collection Cream Pigments -

THOUGHTS and SWATCHES...

Illamasqua Cream Pigment

The Toxic Nature Collection has spawned a wild spray of corrupted colours and poisonous pastels in an intensely colour-rich, crease resistant, matt formula that introduces a brand new product to the Illamasqua range.

Six neo-toxic colour mutations create the ultimate in textures on your face, eyes, lips or body. Apply with an Illamasqua brush or simply use your fingers for a buildable, water resistant, highly pigmented finish. Layer under Powder Eye Shadow and Pure Pigments for intensity.

Size: 8g/0.28 oz.Price:$24Availability:Sephora, Illamasqua

Available Shades:

Bedaub – Mint

Dab – Lilac

Delirium – Rose taupe *Available in the EU Only

Emerge – Peach *Available in the EU Only

Hollow – Toffee

Mould – Grape

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My Five Ps

Price

The Illamasqua Cream Pigments are priced at $24 for 8g/0.28 oz. Of course, the first comparison you may draw is a MAC Paintpot which is $16.50 for 5g/0.17 oz. The Illamasqua Cream Pigments actually work out cheaper per oz. in this case (but not by much) since you get more than 50% more for an additional $7.50. This product is also cheaper per oz. than Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Colors which are $22 for 0.21 oz.

So although the price may seem a bit high for this product, you are getting your money's worth in quantity so it's just a matter of if it's worth $24 for you.

Purchasing

The Illamasqua Cream Pigments are available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com as well as directly from Illamasqua.com. There are two additional exclusive shades available through Illamasqua --Delirium (matte rose taupe) and Emerge (matte orange) -- but they are priced at £17.00 and will require a hefty international shipping fee.

Packaging

The packaging is a rectangular clear plastic jar with concave sides and press-fit black cover. The jar is mostly flat and wide with Illamasqua printed on the black cover and a label indicating the product details on the underside of the clear jar.

There are two major drawbacks to the packaging. First, it's plastic which is not great for the shelf-life (read drying-out time) of cream products. Second, the cover is a press-fit rather than a screw-top which can expose the cream product to air more easily thereby (again) lessening the shelf-life.

So while the packaging is functional, it is not the best for the life span of a cream product. This affects the price for me since even though I am getting a decent amount of product for my money, it may not last long enough for me to get full use of it.

Product& PerformanceThe Illamasqua Cream Pigmentsare multi-use matte cream products for face, eyes, lips and body and are touted as creaseproof and waterproof. The colors are mostly pastel shades in lilac, mint green, rose taupe, peach, toffee and deep purple with a matte finish. It is truly unique to find some of these shades in a matte cream product so that was a nice treat.

The product has a slightly dry and tacky texture and is not as creamy as one would expect based on other products on the market. While the product is creamy, it is not as moist and silky as other cream products which can be both a positive and a negative depending on how you choose to use it.

On eyes and cheeks it will work well with just a slight drag and is great as a base for powder products because of the tacky texture. For lips it can be a bit drying but very long lasting. The cream clings to skin for long wear and resists fading over time.

The Illamasqua Cream Pigments are highly pigmented (but remember there are pastels), very opaque and require very little product for full color payoff. I used these as lip colors, eyeshadows, eyeshadow bases and cream blush and they worked well for each purpose.

They work the best as cream eyeshadow bases for powder eyeshadows and as a base for lipsticks. They truly helped my eyeshadows and lipsticks last much longer but I recommend using a primer/lip balm prior to applying these since there can be a bit of a tug on the skin.

They also work well as cheek products and some (lighter skin) may find then useful as a cheek contour. Be mindful that the colors are matte so don't expect a glow or sheen to these products.

There are some reviews that call out creasing which is disappointing since Illamasqua claims that these are creaseproof. I did not, personally, experience any creasing when use on my eyes with a primer and there was minimal creasing when used without a primer. I recommend using an eye primer with these just in case you are prone to creasing with cream products.

OverallI think these are nice products and there are some unique matte shades in the line-up. If you are not into matte pastel colors then these are not for you. But if you adore mattes and have been searching for some nice cream products then check these out. I recommend a primer when using these on your eyes because there have been reports of creasing (although I didn't experience any myself). I am happy to have them but I wouldn't say you would be missing out or heartbroken without them.

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Swatches

Bedaub - Mint

This is a great matte pastel mint green color.

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Dab - Lilac

If you ever wanted a matte lilac shade then this is the one for you. Great for pale lilac lips or eyes.

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Hollow - Toffee

This shade will make a great neutral base for darker skin ladies and a great contour shade for ligh skin ladies. It even makes a great nude lipstick or blush.

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